Friday, March 8, 2013

9. Why She Left Us by David Dennis (2012)Length: 434 pagesGenre: Contemporary FictionStarted: 23 February 2013Finished: 8 March 2013Where did it come from? Many thanks to David Dennis for sending me a copy of this book to read.How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 26 December 2012Why do I have it? I like contemporary fiction and David Dennis is a new author for me.

It was the summer of 1985, and Betsy as the oldest of three sisters, was still young and inexperienced. However, she was longing to love someone and to be loved in return, when Wayne entered her life. Quiet, painfully shy, and lacking in proper social skills, he came across as a shady person to others because he was unable to look anyone in the eye. At the same time, while Betsy was desperately seeking the love and approval of a mother who never wanted her in the first place, events totally beyond her control claimed Betsy as their victim.

In the wake of these catastrophic events, those who were left behind are unable to cope with the enormity of her absence. Why She Left Us is written as a series of diary entries, the events seen through the eyes of several different people. But at its center, Why She Left Us by David Dennis is a love story that chronicles a romance that transforms the lives of two people who, for too brief a period of time, experienced the greatest happiness they had ever known.

After experiencing minor trouble getting into the story because of the multiple points of view, as well as the shifts back and forth in time from the summer of 1985 to the winter of 1986, I really started to enjoy this book. My difficulty with reading the story only lasted for the first couple of chapters or so, and then I got into the style of writing and was completely drawn into the story. I have to say that while reading this book I found exactly three characters to be entirely likable - the rest were characters that I became infuriated with, and wanted to slap or shake some sense into - figuratively, of course - at various points in the story.

Overall, I found this book to be truly haunting and give it an A! Why She Left Us by David Dennis does contain strong language, implied sexual situations and drug usage, and is not for the faint of heart. However, I do recommend this book to others and look forward to reading more from David Dennis in the future.

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About Me

I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but moved to America when I was five a half. My parents owned two Irish restaurants - one in Albany, New York the other in Dennisport, Cape Cod. I host an Irish radio program with my mom in upstate New York called 'Proud to be Irish'. I'm an avid reader, love history (mainly Irish history), writing, listening to music, and arts and crafts. I also love to laugh and meet new people. I am cheerfully owned by three adorable eight year old rescue cats named Ruby, Leila and Lollipop.